


Rested Invincibility

by OpenDoorLoren



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Karna's head is fluffy I want to pat it, takes place somewhere non descript in the FGO arc 1 canon storyline, very light references and callbacks to the Mahabharata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 07:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18132674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpenDoorLoren/pseuds/OpenDoorLoren
Summary: Even great warriors need some rest and relaxation every now and then, don't they? In the never-ending quest for Servant Ascension Materials, Ritsuka (F) takes to the field with her beloved and prized Servant: Lancer Karna. After more than a decent amount of farming later, Ritsuka wonders if her supposedly indestructible Servant might not be getting a little tired after all, and suggests a nice little break (with a few benefits). Fluff ensues. SFW.





	Rested Invincibility

Memories come out of the darkness: a rush of faces, voices, bodies, places, time, sights, sounds. Everything. A million eyes, a million smiles, frowns, tears, laughter. Condense, merge, slow.

Endless water—the waves of the ocean crawl and recede across the shore. He shivers in the cold of it, wishing a little piece of sunlight would break through the gray wall of the sky to touch his skin. His nose wrinkles as he smells carrion nearby, and he can’t imagine how he’ll ever get out of here.

_Static._  

The roar of the crowd deafens him as he thrusts his bow up to a golden sky. The sun beats down on him, exultant. He feels like he’s the brightest piece of this world. A gentle touch at his hand steals his gaze, and he turns to meet the most amazing smile he’s ever seen.

“Come with me. Let me make you a king, my friend.” 

A cold touch down the spine, eyes boring holes in the back of his head, a growing darkness at the back of his shadow. Even then he could feel it, but didn’t realize what it meant, or what it could bring.

_Curse._  

He hears his name spoken a million times: through a sob, in a laugh, in a biting snarl, in a whisper. 

_Charity._

As if across the world, he can hear the heartbeat of drums. Footfalls. Marching. Building pressure. A weight on his heart. A gentle touch at his face. Five heroes, more than a million soldiers, the smell of smoke and blood burns the back of his throat. None of this is avoidable, and they all know it.

It is soon. 

Golden sunlight reflects on the ever-running stream of the Yamuna; the way it glitters on his kavacha like liquid fire makes his heart ache.

_Fleeting..._

And there is so much more, bubbling up from the deepest point of his self. Some of it pricks and pangs at his heart, aching, beating, of anguish and of joy. Everything has something to it.

Through the mass of information that he sees, separately and as one, one face sticks out vivid from the rest. He knows it. Yes, this face isn’t something that he could ever forget. Whether awake or asleep, in the heat of battle or in the idle of luxury, he can always see it. He can feel the softness of his long black hair without even touching it, feel the scruff of his chin and the rugged lines of his jaw and cheeks. The burning in his amber eyes, like liquid gold, starts his heart into a beat. The sound of his words call in a countless voices. He hears his own name as if it was spoken in arm’s reach.

“Karna.”

There is always a laugh in it, and a smile. 

He wants to call back but...

“Duryo...”

There’s a pain in his neck, right in the throat. He tries to reach for it, but his hands are gone. His body is gone.

He tries to focus on his friend’s face, to grasp, to stay, forever. But he’s already become aware that this isn’t reality. This is a dream... a memory. It is something rising up from the depths of his Spirit Origin and having its way with him. Everything he can see through it has already ended, lost to the endless flow of time. Lost. He can’t cling to it. He can’t keep it. It slips through his fingers like water made gold in the light of the sunset.

It is all so bright and beautiful. But it doesn’t stick. Slowly. Gently. Gradually. Things go black. The memories fade, and he feels himself falling and slipping away.

Nothingness lasts forever, and for only one second.

A droplet hits his face. One, followed by a second, a third, a steady flow of more. Rain? No, it’s warm, almost to the point of burning. As his awareness grows he feels warmth surrounding him, and a voice fades in with it: a woman’s sobbing cry.

He sees her, a figure draped in silks of every color, laced in swirling threads of silver and gold. But in his heart he feels a pull, a yearning for her who, by her dress, was nothing less than a princess of the greatest kingdoms of the world. He tries to see her face, but her back is to him now as she trudges off into the darkness.

_You are..._

The ache in his chest galvanizes him, urges him to run, begs him to go after her. But his body is gone here. Even if he visualizes himself running and chasing after her ghost, she doesn’t get any closer.

She was nothing more than a gray mark on a black horizon.

_Why?_

He feels the words eating at his heart. He tries to cry out but his voice couldn’t exist here. She is his last memory, and if she’s gone, there will be nothing left.

It aches.

_Why are you leaving me all alone?_

And then she’s gone.

_Mother..._

He resigns himself to it immediately. Perhaps he is deserving of the oblivion, perhaps not. But he’s tired, weary in soul, beyond struggling for a way out. He submits to the current, and lets it carry him to its whims. Wherever nothingness leads, he will go.

He will go...

He will go... 

Down, down, along the stream...

He will go.

“...Karna...”

The voice comes so softly he’s sure he must have imagined it. This is but another ghost, an echo of the darkness. But...

He knows it. He’s heard it before. But it’s not the voice of his friend, or any other he’s heard from the million of the past. But he knows it.

A touch at his forehead—delicate, achingly tender, trailing across his skin, moving into his hair, stroking his head, and repeating, again and again. What a wonderful feeling. So easy to get lost in, to melt in. If he had a voice here he doubts he could have held back a whimper or a groan. Each moment he fears the touch will stop, disappear like everything else into the darkness. But it comes again on his head, his face, soothing him, warming him, lifting, sending the weight on his soul away.

His lips part; he breathes.

A murmur fades in: the whisper of leaves through the trees, the warmth of sunlight, the pungent and refreshing scent of grass and flower. It fills him, but doesn’t rouse him. He settles into it, in bliss.

The voice comes again, soft as ever. “I wonder if you can hear me right now? I guess not, huh?” still she whispers as if she was worried of being overheard, maybe even by him.

A breeze makes the leaves chuckle, and he can feel it on his skin. Stroking... _good..._

Maybe it’s only the wind playing with his hair and caressing his face? No, the wind could never feel this warm, or smell this nice, or sound so sweet. He waits for her to speak again, just clinging to the fringes of consciousness, floating, ready to sink back into the darkness of sleep again at any moment. It’s impossible to fight it.

“I just want you to know...” her voice holds him. “It’s okay for you to rely on me, okay? I know you’re really strong and powerful and amazing and everything but...” her hand moves deep into his hair and its hard not to shudder. “I’m your Master after all, you know? I know you think it’s your job to protect me but... let me try to take care of you sometimes too... You... You’re important to me, you know? More important than you might ever know...” the touch stops. “Ugh... my cheeks feel like they’re on fire. Look what you do to me, Karna... Good thing he can’t hear me right now or this would kill me. Oh well.”

The moments drag on, and she doesn’t speak again. The lullaby of the wind and her touch keeps on, and without her voice to ground him, he feels himself fading out—but this time not into an oppressive darkness. He can’t exactly describe it or define it, but even as he’s sent away, her warmth remains. He can still feel her touch as her hand moves through his hair. It stays with him, right by the red stone at his heart, as he drifts, riding on the gentle arms of a stream, floating far away to where the sun sinks golden into the horizon.

“Sleep well, Karna.”

And the memories of his last life go with him.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

** Rested Invincibility ** 

 

* * *

 

 

“These weapons are merely an opening act; a true hero kills with their eyes.”

Karna’s eye flashed like a red star and an inferno that would have put hellfire to shame filled the world. Every monster and beast that crowded the plain were washed away in an ocean of fire, every last gruesome piece of them burnt down to dust in the wind. The flame swirled, roared, swelled, and then simmered. As if letting itself being carried off by the wind, it steadily died, leaving nothing in its wake but a raw, smouldering wasteland that cut across the otherwise cheery green field like an airport landing strip.

_Great work as usual, Karna!_

Ritsuka watched the last of the fires die and flicker out, grateful that none of them were growing or spreading.

Brahmastra. Ritsuka remembered the name of that attack well. She’d watched Karna fire off a countless number of those bad boys since his initial summon, quite some time ago now. And even now, watching it rocket out of his eye never failed to make her mouth swing open. It was almost like watching fireworks, just with a thousand percent more fire and screaming-destruction. Well, maybe it was a bit more fun that way. Another thing Ritsuka quickly learned about the launcher-like attack was that there wasn’t much out there that could match gazes with it without ending up like...

From the safe spot at the back of their one-servant formation, Ritsuka surveyed the miles-long black line the attack had burned into the earth.

Yes, without ending up like that.

“Master.”

Ritsuka couldn’t help but jolt when he turned to her; his right eye flickering red a moment before dropping back into its regular cool blue.

“The enemy has been neutralized. Shall we proceed to the next battle, or have we finished for today?”

Ritsuka gave him a once over from top to toe. “You tired?”

“I can continue if you so wish.”

Crossing her arms and shifting from foot to foot, Ritsuka considered. To fight or not to fight? Always the eternal question. Sometimes the answer came right away, but in other times—in lulls like this one—it took some evaluation. If they were going to go fight more enemies now, they were going to have to make the effort to find them. That Brahmastra had burnt every foe right off the map for a mile’s radius at least. Was it going to be worth it to work up the effort wasting possible hours to find more enemies to fight? That all depended on the spoils.

With a thoughtful quirk of her lips, Ritsuka rolled back her sleeve. A small black panel was strapped to her wrist like a watch. With a few taps, a blue-tinted holographic screen sprung up in mid air above her wrist and displayed all the recent data gathered from the last battle: an overview of sorts, showing what items were dropped, what the type of enemies were, how much experience was gained for both Master and Servant—the general stuff, really. And all of it was beamed in and uploaded in the blink of an eye after every combat from Chaldea’s state of the art computer and processing systems—no doctor Roman needed!

The original objective for this excursion had been to collect materials, and Ritsuka and Karna had been doing a pretty good job of that for the past—Ritsuka checked the time which was also displayed on the panel—four hours or so. Collecting material for Servant ascension wasn’t easy, but what Ritsuka quickly learned to be a grave necessity. A motto she’d ended up adopting was ‘ _everyone is always going to need something_ ’ followed by the next coined ‘ _you can never have too many god hearts_ ’. Though this outing hadn’t been for those, or teardrops of blood, or homunculus babies, or phoenix feathers, or reverse dragon fangs, no. This excursion was more for a mass gathering of the small stuff: hero’s proof, seeds of Yggdrasil, maybe a gear or two—Karna would need those later for skills. But had they gathered enough?

Scrolling through the lines of data on the holo-panel, Ritsuka hummed, “Uhh, that was a few hero’s proof drops. And that’s all.”

Karna’s eyes turned to the horizon, his brow a touch creased. “An unfortunate yield.” He’d clearly been expecting more based on how many enemies he’d just annihilated.

Ritsuka waved her hand. “Eh, it’s not too bad. I was hoping they’d drop more seeds myself but this is a pretty big field after all, and it hasn’t been short on monsters yet.” Ritsuka dispelled the screen with a tap. “We got time to kill before the doc finds the coordinates to the next Singularity. If you’re ready to keep going then so am I, Karna. Shall we?”

“As you so wish, Master.”

So off they went.

 

* * *

 

Karna: the hero of charity, one of the great kshatriya warriors from the epic Mahabharata, was known at the very least to be a Servant of incredible skill, power, and force. Ritsuka had seen all of Karna’s many lofty and illustrious titles proven true thousandfold in her process of strengthening him, fighting with him, and refining his set of skills.

They’d spent a good chunk of the day fighting and Karna looked just as fresh as he had been when they first rayshifted over here. But Ritsuka couldn’t help but wonder—and it was perhaps her natural tendency to wonder—was he really okay? Even great hero-warriors like him got tired sometimes, didn’t they? Jogging behind him, Ritsuka tried to get a look at his face, but wasn’t having much luck seeing over the large red cloud that gathered at his shoulders—looked delightfully comfy as always, but curse that thing for blocking the view sometimes.

Doctor Roman would sometimes say, “Mana isn’t infinite, so make sure to take breaks when you can—especially out there in the field!” Which was ironic, coming from a work-a-holic like him. But Ritsuka knew it was sound advice, and tried to follow it when the situation allowed.

Ritsuka had improved a lot since her start as ‘Humanity’s Last Master’, and could keep up the fight for much longer than she used to. Old-Ritsuka would have been flat on the ground and wheezing like an asthmatic after ten minutes running a circuit through this field. Current-Ritsuka had fought for hours, and while she certainly felt like she’d got a workout, she felt more exhilarated than drained or dying. She could keep going.

‘ _Roman sometimes says the bonds between Master and Servant put us in sync. I wonder, if I start to feel tired, does Karna too?_ ’ Then again, if he was feeling tired, he probably wouldn’t show it. Ritsuka tried to force back a sudden yawn, failed. ‘ _Ugh. Thinking about resting is starting to make me feel like putting my head down._ ’ She remembered her bed, the fluffy pillows and snug covers, then shook it out of her head. ‘ _No! There’ll be times for naps later. I told Karna I can keep going, so I will!_ ’

Ritsuka followed Karna as he took the lead. Their course was more or less aimless: just run around till some enemies show up on the radar. Fight, reap rewards, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat, rinse... Ritsuka checked the panel: no sign of hostile life. Well, it made sense considering how cheerful and peaceful this field was. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and the sun beat down on everything with pleasant, revitalizing warmth; there weren’t a lot of shadows for monsters to lurk in. It was almost like the good energy of the day was pushing anything nasty back to where it couldn’t be found.

After a bit more wandering, they’d wandered into an area with a little more bush and tree livening up the landscape. Ritsuka trotted along behind Karna at a steady jog, skirting the undergrowth and clumps of bush and wild hedge—some dotted with berries so bright and red that she had to make an effort to tear her eyes away. Lunch could wait until later—and weaving around and through gatherings of trees. Many trees sported great boughs and branches that touched fingers overhead and filtered the sunshine, but didn’t clutter the field too much to take away that sense of space and wilderness. Ritsuka quickly got in the habit of running to keep her strength and stamina up, while Karna more or less... _floated_ forward a few inches above the ground, head constantly swiveling like a bird of prey, eyes always peeled. Ritsuka smiled seeing it—with a look like that, there wasn’t much that was going to get passed him.

‘ _I’m not even going to need to use the radar. Karna will see it before_ _anything else_ _ever will_.’

Just as she was thinking that, Karna froze, planted his feet and whipped around like lightning.

“Master—down!”

Ritsuka saw his lance coming and dropped. Just in time too, for the werejaguar rising from the far side of the hedge that would have taken her head off, had his own swiftly removed from his shoulders by one stroke of Karna’s lance.

“Welp!” Ritsuka said, face half in the dirt. “That was an assassin class!” Before she could flounder back to her feet, something grabbed at her back. Not another one! “Karna! Something’s got me!” she cried as she felt herself lift. But just before panic and ‘impulse-to-punch’ kicked in, she found herself face to face with her Servant. “Oh.”

“Yes, Master. I have got you.”

She shouldn’t have been surprised at this point that he could lift her with one arm, but she couldn’t help it.

“Oh... thanks. Hey! You scared me for a second there! I thought you were another monster! You gotta tell me next time before you try to crane-lift me like that—give me a bit of warning, please.”

“I see. I apologize. I will try to be more prudent.” Taking gentle hold of her at the waist, he set her down at what he judged was a safe zone behind him, putting himself between her and the body of the disintegrating monster corpse. “You are unharmed?”

Patting her clothes and spitting a bit of grass, Ritsuka sighed, “Dirty, but fine. I keep telling Mash and the doc white really isn’t the best color for the field, but I guess it’s a good thing Chaldea’s laundry room has the detergent of the gods—not literally. Wait, do you hear that?”

The bushes the monster had just come from began to shiver and shake again, and with a chorus of ruthless growls and snarls, a group of shadows rose to attack.

“Looks like we just stumbled into a nest. But I guess that means we’ve got the fight we’ve been looking for! Get ready, Karna!”

The red wreath at his back flared like a bristling mane, the star-edge of his spear poised and ready to strike. “At your order, Master. All of your enemies will fall before me.”

And as always, they do.

 

* * *

 

One more burning Brahmastra-line in the field later.

“Great! We got seven whole seeds from that! Excellent, Karna! High-fives all around!”

With the hint of a disgruntled frown, he obliged the high five—still unused to the concept of victory high fives perhaps, but also probably a little glad she didn’t insist a ‘Heyo-Chal-Deluxe!’ from him this time. Mash had forbade that greeting but Ritsuka still used it every now and then after battle whenever the Demi-Servant wasn’t around, and conflictingly, Karna noticed she only used it with him.

“I am happy to assist,” and he sighed.

Ritsuka froze. “What was that?”

Karna heard the alarm in her voice and tensed. “What was what?” His black-clad hand tightened on his lance. “More enemies? Let them come.”

“No, not more enemies. You!”

“I?”

“Just now, you sighed!”

“I did?” he felt himself lax. Was that cause for alarm? “I... suppose... I did?”

“Are you... tired, Karna? These battles aren’t wearing you out, are they?”

He stared.

“I mean... I understand if they are. We’ve been fighting for pretty much the entire day, just one battle after another and another and another. Shoot. I knew I should have brought Mash or someone along to half the load. I’m such a crummy Master. I knew it, I knew it.” Ritsuka threw her head in her hands and looked about ready to sink to the ground—which only would have got her uniform more dirty.

Karna was ready to catch her just in case anyway. “Master, please don’t spiral into despair. You have conducted me exceptionally well thus far, and I have no complaints on the matter. Please, don’t worry yourself over me.”

She didn’t move out of her depressed hunch, but managed an, “Okay.”

“The greater cause for concern here is not my well-being, but yours.” Aside from the grass and dirt stains tragically spattering her white uniform, she had more than a few hairs out of place, and while she didn’t seem to notice it, her breathing was a little labored. “The current area seems secure, and I neither see nor sense any more enemies in the vicinity. Perhaps now would be the most opportune time for a break.”

Ritsuka finally looked up into his eyes and smiled. “You’re full of good ideas, Karna.”

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

A light forest gathered in the heart of the field, with thin, bitten-down grass, and trees standing around in clumps and clusters, sometimes yards apart from each other. Beams of white and gold moved through the patchy canopy of leaves and limbs above, flickering like water every time the wind whispered by. On that gentle breeze Ritsuka could hear the pleasant melody of birdsong, and smell the sweet, spicy scent of a flower—or something mysterious she couldn’t recognize—from some distant part of the field.

“Peaceful,” the word drifted from her lips. “Not a place you can ever imagine a werejaguar coming out to attack you in, right?”

Karna’s expression didn’t change. “Do not jinx us, Master.”

She flashed a smile. “Yeah, I’ll try not to. Let’s go sit down.”

More or less picking a tree at random that looked like it had a decent amount of overhead covering, she took a seat. Karna remained standing, turned his back to her, and kept watch.

Ritsuka watched him for a while—wondering how long he was going to stay like that. “Are you going to sit down too?”

He turned back to look at her, but his face was almost hidden behind the red wreath that seemed to stick in place at his back even when it got really windy out. “Sit down?”

She patted the spot beside her a few times.

Karna faced her and stared. “I don’t understand.”

Ritsuka held his gaze. “I mean, I’m not going to Command Spell-force you to sit with me or anything. But I think it would be nice if you did.”

He didn’t blink, and Ritsuka wondered if that was his thoughtful face. Eventually, he said, “I see.”

Then he moved, and for a moment Ritsuka was pretty sure he was about to turn around a resume guard duty—which would be understandable, if not a bit cold. When she saw him come over, stick his lance in the ground, and take a seat beside her, she almost thought she was dreaming.

“Wow, you did it.”

“I will continue to keep watch from here.”

“Sure.” But Ritsuka didn’t really see the point; the field didn’t have a lot of dips and rises, and the trees didn’t obscure much from where they were. The only realistic surprise attack could come from behind, but still Ritsuka couldn’t imagine it on a day as lovely as this. A pang in her chest almost made her regret wasting most of it away fighting monsters and clearing the field—though the bounty she remembered she and her Servant had reaped dulled that a little.

Karna sat ever watchful at her side, hardly blinking. The dappled sunlight coming through the trees glittered off his golden armor—what he sometimes referred to as his kavacha—the plate that coated his arms and legs like a second skin. Ristuka’s eyes were drawn to it and held. Her gaze wandered the hard gold from top to bottom. Despite all the battles they had gone through today, all the enemies they had slain, there wasn’t a dent, crack, scrape or blemish on any part of it.

“Your armor is beautiful,” Ritsuka said, almost to herself.

This got Karna to break his unblinking watch and turn, his pale blue eyes fixing on her.

Innocently, Ritsuka looked back and forth between his half-glare-half-stare and his kavacha. “It’s... pristine.”

His eyes lowered to the armor too and a smile almost played on his lips—or maybe it was just a trick of the hazy light. “Yes. My kavacha were born with me, and grew with me. Even now, as I fight and grow along side you, Master, it continues to evolve. It was... perhaps, one of the most blessed gifts I had ever received... from Suyradeva. My father.” He pointed up. “The sun.”

Ritsuka looked up to the gap in the trees but couldn’t even see a peek of blue sky through the white light.

“Be careful, Master. It’s not wise to look directly at the sun, even through the leaves.”

Ritsuka lowered her head. “Can anything break it—your armor? Or is it invincible?”

Karna shifted into more of an almost casual position, with his back against the broad trunk of the tree, his red wreath fading across his shoulders and his back like a semi-transparent fog. Propping an arm atop his knee, Karna stared at the broad spikes on the vambrace. “Invincible... or as close to it as a once-mortal could perhaps get. I had heard tell that this kavacha, and the kundala at my ear,” Karna tilted his head, and the saucer dangling from the left lobe turned on its chain, “were forged from amrita—the elixir of immortality that only the gods in devaloka have possession of.”

“Hmm,” Ritsuka cracked a smile, “you’re quite talkative today, Karna.” Spending an entire day getting worked up fighting enemies would make anyone’s lips a little loose, she supposed.

He didn’t look back at her, “You asked the questions, I merely answered them.”

“Fair enough.”

While Karna was her Servant, and they had fought side by side for some time, this was one of the few opportunities—Ritsuka realized—she had to take a real hard and close look at his armor and his body. Throwing hesitance and embarrassment away felt easy after so much action today, and the nice weather sure helped, so she readily took the chance to memorize the grooves in the plate, the spikes, the edges, the smooth surfaces, the way it shone and gleamed, and how it stuck almost artfully to his thin, bony, yet still somehow powerful frame.

She had to say it. “Can I touch it?”

Karna looked back at her. “...Touch...?”

“...Your armor, I mean. Is it wrong to ask? Sorry, I just—”

“You wish to touch it?” he muttered, softly, almost perplexed—or maybe she was just imagining it.

She blinked, eyes wide. “Yes.” The word came out maybe a bit too determined, too eager, but she didn’t really regret it.

Karna was silent for a pregnant moment and Ritsuka nearly broke her lip worrying it.

Before she could kick off into a clumsy rambling back-pedal, he said, “Very well. If you wish to touch it, then you may.”

“I can? Really?”

He nodded, offering his arm.

Ritsuka felt her cheeks going rosy as her heart struck up a beat. _I can touch!!_

“Please be careful of the sharp parts, Master.”

There were a lot of sharp parts. Being mindful of those, Ritsuka touched the vambrace with a hesitant finger. Even dirty from the day’s roughhousing as her hands were, her finger didn’t leave a single smudge or print behind—amazing! Ritsuka didn’t know much about gods or whatever magical elixirs they did or didn’t have, but she wasn’t having trouble believing in the magic of this golden armor. Relishing the opportunity, Ritsuka went from poking and prodding to slow, gentle, lingering strokes. Even though the armor looked so powerful, it also had an other-worldly sort of beauty to it that cautioned Ritsuka to be gentle and handle it with care. It felt so smooth and nice, and wonderfully warm, which Ritsuka couldn’t tell was from the heat of the sun, or if it was just like that naturally. Maybe if the armor was part of Karna’s body, it heat up like his skin would too. After a few more minutes, Ritsuka worked up the courage to fondle the spikes of the kavacha that seemed to actually come out of his arm—and she stayed away from the pointy bits. She was satisfied with just his arm, and despite how enticing the armor on his legs or throat looked, she didn’t get too greedy or brash. The arm was enough for now.

While she got her fill of touching, she wasn’t unaware of Karna staring at her. She didn’t make direct eye contact with him even once, and tried not to notice his owlish-eyes focused only on her and where her hands roamed, but somehow his gaze was even more glaring from her peripheral! She could only bare it for so long, and with a steady breath, she withdrew her hands.

In a soft, thoughtful voice, she said, “It really is amazing armor. So beautiful... but even if it doesn’t wear down and break after so much fighting, what about you?”

Not quite sure where she was going with this, a faint twinge of curiosity and perplexity came to his face.

“I mean,” Ritsuka hesitated. Touching his armor had given her an idea she wasn’t sure if she should say. But it stuck hard in her head, and she was already running off a high of exhilaration from touching his kavacha. How long would she have to wait to feel this brave again? It had to be now.

“Today... to me... you look a little tired. I brought you and... only you out here today because I wanted to... focus on you.” She could feel her face getting a bit red. “K-kind of like a personal combat analysis or something. And you really exceeded my expectations, Karna. Well, I mean, you usually do, and everything. So I feel like... I want to do something for you. Something nice for you, as my way of saying thanks for working so hard and doing such a good job,” she looked everywhere but his eyes, but they were still staring at her in the peripheral. “So, I...” with an almost bracing breath, Ritsuka straightened her legs and patted her lap. “If you want to lie down and rest... you can.”

Karna stared at her for a long moment. “Are you asking me to lay my head on your lap?”

“...I mean... i-if you want to.”

Another long pause. “Is this an order?”

Ritsuka could feel the flush burning her cheeks—so she was sure there was no way Karna couldn’t see it. “It’s not like I’m going to use a Command Spell for this either! It’s just an offer... if you want. A request from a Master to a Servant—or... a friend to a friend. Grgh, would you quit staring and just say something!?” Another few moments of silence and Ritsuka was sure she would have died.

“I see.” Karna mused, half thoughtful and half perplexed. “A request... from... a friend. A friend’s request, I see. Hmm.”

“Look,” Ritsuka tried to speak from a tongue that suddenly felt two times too big for her mouth. “Forget about it, just never mind, it was a stupid thing to say, just...”

“No. If that is what you ask, then, as your Servant, it is my duty to follow your order. Um,” his brow creased. “If... I... may...”

A little awkwardly, a little stilted, hesitant, and even almost clumsy, Karna turned around and slowly lowered himself to her. His head dropped lightly on her lap. Even though Ritsuka had asked for it, the new weight on her legs felt unexpected, and her body tensed. Karna stiffened too, but Ritsuka couldn’t tell if that was in response to her or not. They froze, but neither moved away.

“Is this...” he managed, “...to your satisfaction?” His face was red too.

Ritsuka tried to swallow. Why did he have to word it like that? “Uh. Y-yeah. Just... stay. Stay... like that.”

“...Alright.”

Ritsuka found it a little hard to look directly at him—especially his face—so her eyes wandered instead to his body laying across the grass, with his hands folded over his stomach, and the shield-like discs of his kavacha that usually hovered around his wreath now at rest, one on the grass and the other against the broad trunk of the tree near to her. His wreath still curled around him, and Karna’s body seemed to half-fade half-sink into the greater mass of it, and Ritsuka found herself smiling at how comfy it looked. ‘ _Next time I’ll ask him if I can pet it_ ,’ she thought, only half joking.

With a calming breath, Ritsuka let her body lax, leaned against the tree, and looked to the sky. The wind was ever whispering, moving the trees and combing the grass. It touched her skin in a warm kiss, even under the shade. The sound was a melody that, in the silence and the calm without words, lulled her and blurred the lines of time. It must have had some sort of effect on Karna too for, while Ritsuka still couldn’t bring herself to look directly down at his face, she felt his body shift from time to time, felt his muscles gradually unknot and ease, and heard an almost relaxed and contented sigh drift from his lips.

If Master and Servant really did have some sort of direct emotional connection, Ritsuka was sure they were both feeling it now. The calm, the relaxation, the ease, the melody of nature. The exhaustion from all the days battles sunk now into her idle body, into the muscles and bones. It ached a little, but it was an almost pleasant pain that made her eyelids heavy and caused her head to droop and nod.

‘ _I’ll just close my eyes for... a... few..._ ’ she could hear Karna breathing softly beneath her, barely audible over the murmuring leaves. ‘ _Just... a... few..._ ’ with a sigh of her own, her head dropped back against the tree and she let herself fade and fall into a light sleep.

 

* * *

 

When Ritsuka opened her eyes again, the daylight had hardly changed.

‘ _I dozed off?_ ’ she pushed the heels of her palms gently into the corner of her eyes, rubbing, and dragging them up her forehead to her scalp to brush the orange bangs from her face. ‘ _I can’t even remember when I closed my eyes._ ’

She was about to stretch her arms and legs and then check the time, but a weight on her lap stopped her.

‘ _What the...?_ _Oh, right—Karna!_ ’

Her prior embarrassment completely forgotten, she looked down to find him at peace. His eyes were closed now, his lips slightly parted, and his head half-turned toward her stomach. A gentle breath hissed through his lips as his chest rose and fell in an almost mesmerizing and delicate rhythm.

Ritsuka almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “...Karna?”

His face twitched, his lips closed, and Ritsuka smacked her hands over her mouth. Karna’s face scrunched, he grunted, turned his head a fraction, sighed, and lay still again.

Ritsuka dared not even blink. He was... sleeping?!

‘ _So he was tired after all! That ‘you-don’t-have-to-concern-yourself-over-me’ dummy!_ ’ The feeling in her chest that was almost building to irritation melted entirely away at the look on his resting face.

Now that Ritsuka looked at him and thought about it, she couldn’t remember the last time Karna had ever looked like this. Had he ever looked like this? During combat he was always so serious and stoic, always frowning, the look in his eyes sometimes even merciless, especially when he bore down upon his foes. Now it was like he hadn’t a care in the world, drifting easily away into a world of peaceful dreams.

Ritsuka watched him for a few long minutes, the thought of being embarrassed at their position not even crossing her mind. ‘ _I kind of want to... touch his hair_...’

The great puff of silver-white lay draped across her legs, with the ends trailing into the grass, wafting gently in the breeze.

Cautious so not to disturb him, Ritsuka inched her hand slowly and steadily to his head. She hesitated a moment, her fingertips a breath from his forehead, then with a surge of courage, eased her fingers through his hair line.

She couldn’t help but gasp. His hair was... _so soft!_ Growing more bold, she went from a light caress to full stroking. She’d always thought his hair had looked so weightless and fluffy from afar, but up close it was almost heavenly, and Ritsuka found she couldn’t stop herself. Careful not to disturb him, she kept her touch as light and gentle as she could, and apparently it worked because Karna kept on sleeping like a baby.

Getting used to the feeling, her hands slowed, her fingers working into his hairline and scalp, sliding easily through his hair and fondling the spiked ends. She continued this for a while, a little thrilled that he was still asleep and seemed so at ease. ‘ _I wonder if he can feel it even though he’s sleeping?_ ’ She liked to think so.

Probably having a bit too much fun, Ritsuka couldn’t just stop at his hair. She extended her touch to his forehead, pressing her hand gently against his skin and enjoying the warmth. She expected him to open his eyes at any moment, but to her not-so-secret delight, he didn’t, and she got even more brave. Holding her breath, she even went as far to stroke his cheek and loved that it felt just as comfortingly warm as his armor had. Ritsuka smiled.

Karna stayed mostly quiet through all the affectionate touches—mostly. Every now and then Ritsuka caught the occasional sigh or grumble breaking up his steady breathing. If he had made any noises of discomfort or upset she would have stopped immediately. But she could hear pleasure and contentment in every little noise he made. She didn’t like to admit it but this almost felt as relaxing as petting a kitty—all that was missing was the purring. As if reading her mind in his sleep, Karna mumbled something. Ritsuka nearly jumped out of her skin, expecting him to finally wake.

Instead he turned more on his side, toward her, and settled again.

Ritsuka looked down at him over her chest.

“Karna?”

He didn’t stir.

“Are you dreaming?” If he was, she thought it must have been a nice dream, judging by the look on his face. “When’s the last time I ever saw you look so peaceful?” All expression slowly faded from her face. “Karna, can you hear me?” she almost laughed. “I guess not.” He looked like he was about ready to sleep through the world ending.

“Hey, Karna...?” the words started a little shakily and uneasily, didn’t hold at first, but they picked up momentum faster than even she thought they would. “I just want you to know...”

It was easier to say it if he was asleep. Maybe the message was a little wasted, if her words weren’t going to hit and find home. But for now, maybe it was better that way.

_Whether you can hear me now or not..._

Ritsuka didn’t mind. Just getting the words out, off her chest, and to him in some way, some shape, or some form, was enough for now. As she stroked his hair, and watched him almost curled into her lap, she liked to think that one day she’d be able to say these words to his face, to look into his eyes and give him everything from her heart.

_One day, maybe._

Ritsuka smiled, settling back against the tree, watching the golden sunlight dance, and letting her hand settle into an idle stroke. She didn’t know how long their little rest would last for, but she hoped to make the most of it while she could.

“...Sleep well, Karna.”

 

* * *

 

Karna opened his eyes to the watery light shimmering and swaying above him. Where was this? Where was he? Drifting along the currents of the Ganga? On the banks of Yamuna, on the eve of Kurukshetra? No, that had happened in another place, another time, another life, farther away than even time itself could hope to reach. This place was...

As Karna woke he felt a comforting warmth surrounding his shoulders and head, and he felt like he was resting on something as soft as a pillow—maybe even softer and more comforting. Almost peculiarly, he had no sense of urgency; the most peaceful feeling filled his chest and urged him to close his eyes and fall back into the deliciously soothing warmth of it. It was an effort to disobey that tantalizing plead, but curiosity wouldn’t let him keep his eyes closed. Where am I?

A sweet scent tickled his nose. He thought it was maybe a flower, or some sort of blossom, but it came even when the wind was still, and seemed to be a part of the warmth around him and inside of him. And there was a familiarity in it, something he’d smelt before, many times. He knew it, but couldn’t place it. But he grasped it, and used it to pull his mind out of its rest. Curiosity was the prompt, and he stirred, wakening. His vision cleared, he turned his head and saw the blurry outline of Ritsuka’s body in the shade. The recollection of the reality of where he was, and the position he was in, crashed down on him.

He sprung upright, not noticing the leaves falling out of his hair. ‘ _I’d fallen asleep?_ ’ His fingertips brushed his forehead, bewildered.

He remembered Ritsuka’s smile, and the way she patted her lap. “ _If you’re tired..._ ”

Had he really been that tired without even really knowing?

Ignoring or, more, denying the flustered flush he felt on his cheeks, he turned back around. “Master, I apologi—”

Ritsuka sat propped against the trunk of the tree, her head lolled to her shoulder, orange bangs splayed over her closed eyes. The only part of her that moved was her chest in a slow rise and fall. Karna stared, wordless.

His mind went blank. Any thoughts of what he could have said or should have done vanished like smoke. Instead he simply sat and watched, as if mesmerized by his Master and the dappled sunlight dancing across her body. He watched it move across her grass and dirt-stained clothes, her disheveled orange hair, her peaceful face.

Without even really thinking, following the impulse that suddenly tugged at his heart, he brought his hand to her forehead and caressed her bangs with his fingertips. He did it once or twice, enjoying the tickle of her hair. Like his Master, he too might have got a bit braver and let his hands explore more, if Ritsuka hadn’t started to move. As if she felt him, Ritsuka’s face scrunched and she heaved a drowsy sigh. Karna started, retreating, letting his hand drop back to his side. The persistent thudding in his chest made him frown.

Before he could mull over that at length, he noticed Ritsuka moving. She was awake? Good. He tried to set the niggling warmth in his chest aside and greet his Master with the professionalism she was used to seeing from him. But instead of rising, she was turning... and tipping! In another moment she’d tilt too far and get an unpleasant awakening when her head hit the ground.

Karna grabbed for her without even thinking, his hand clenched her shoulder and pulled her the other way—toward him. He hadn’t used much force, but he was always forgetting how small and light his Master really was. She came back the other way all right, and landed face-first against his chest.

He jolted at the touch, his mind and body grinding to a halt.

He didn’t move, didn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Her touch, the weight of her body, felt like fire. Old-Karna, when he was first summoned, probably would have thought nothing of this and set her calmly back against the tree, which is what he almost moved to do. But before he could, he realized that instead of moving her away, he wanted to hold her closer. The warmth of her body was already pooling on his bare skin; he was minutely aware of the feel of her lips, the bridge of her nose, the ridge of her brow burning into him, and it was impossible not to shudder. His arms lifted, as if by their own will, but stopped a breath from her back. The wind sighed.

He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Ritsuka didn’t take that moment to wake up.

She groaned groggily, nuzzling her forehead into his chest—like she couldn’t at first tell the difference between it and her pillow. With a yawn, she pulled back into a stretch, blinking around absently, taking all of the warmth with her and making his skin feel almost achingly cold. It seemed to take her a second to realize where she was.

‘ _Oh, right. Field. Fighting. Monsters. Of course._ ’ she noticed Karna and blinked up at him sleepily, the red on his cheeks, the wide, almost shocked look in his eyes, and his hands half risen as if to catch her if she titled again went totally over her head. If there was ever a time Ritsuka was at her most vulnerable and—quite frankly—dumbest, it was when she first woke up. All she registered was that she was happy to see him.

“Karna. Good... afternoon? Wait, what the...” her mind was waking up a little. Their positions right now were... different. When did she get so close to him? Last she remembered Karna was down there and she was up... when did that change? “How did we... I thought you were the one who...?” she pinched her chin and looked like she was seriously trying to wrack her mind for answers.

Karna avoided direct eye contact. “I... believe we both happened to... doze a little.”

“Yeah,” Ristuka said slowly, as if she couldn’t even believe it. If she was at all bothered by their close proximity—the fact she was sitting right between his legs with only a breath or so between them—she wasn’t showing it. “Hm? Hey... are you okay? Your face looks a little flushed. You’re not sick, are you? Wait, can Servants even get sick?”

With a sharp sigh through his nose, and desperate for at least a little bit of space—lest the tight burning in his chest overwhelm him—Karna closed his eyes and got back to his feet. “It is merely your imagination.”

To his slightly cold tone, all Ritsuka did was smile. “Hey, didn’t I tell you before it’s my job as your Master to worry about you?” She reached out her hand, and despite trying to put some distance between them a second earlier, Karna immediately took it and helped her to her feet.

She flashed another smile, then moved into some half-hearted stretching. “Guh. Remind me not to sleep on another tree again.”

“Acknowledged. I should have given you...” his hand strayed to the red wreath at his back.

Ritsuka blinked in the middle of an arm stretch, “You can... take that thing off?”

“Not at the moment, but I can extend it to you, to an extent. Though I suppose you would need to be...” closer... he stopped himself saying it before he said it.

“Karna, your face is red again.”

“Please never mind.”

His Master flashed a cheery, and almost cheeky smile, as if she could see right through him. “I’ll take you up on that offer next time, and I say next time because I guess we rested for long enough already,” Ritsuka looked up as if to gauge the position of the sun in the sky, but visibility through the trees was still low. “Mash and Roman might give us a bit of a chewing out if they find out about it, so let’s just keep it as our little secret for now, okay?” she winked.

His expression didn’t change, settled back into its usual expressionless and almost aloof calm. “Understood... Although, I don’t believe any of our time was poorly spent today.”

Ritsuka blinked, mid-leg stretch. “O-oh?” She remembered the cute face he made when he was sleeping, and tried not to flush too.

“Yes. Right now... I feel...” his lips almost pursed as he groped for the words.

Ritsuka slowly straightened. “Well rested?”

“Yes.” He smiled just a little. “Very.”

She beamed again, “So do I! We really are on the same wavelength aren’t we?”

“Yes. I am replenished and awaiting any order, Master.”

“Hm,” Ritsuka folded her arms. “I think we find ourselves at another cross roads. As far as I can see, we have one of two choices here.”

“I would hear them.”

“First. We call it a day and return to Chaldea. Or, second,” she looked out to where the trees thinned and the field rolled on into an endless distance. “We go fight some more monsters!”

Karna kept his smile. “As the Master, the final decision is always yours. However, I think I can tell what you would like to do.” And his hand tightened readily on his golden spear.

Ristuka’s laugh tinkled as she turned on her heel. “Let’s go, Karna! I’m sure we’ve still got a few hours of the day left! Let’s reap some more of those seeds, and hey, maybe a heart or two in the mix!”

“Yes, Master.”

With a shared smile, the Master and the Servant left the comfortable peace and solitude of the trees behind. Hearts and spirits both renewed, they rushed out into the sunlight—and to the next battle.

**Author's Note:**

> AN/: I read a version of the Mahabharata recently, where when Kunti (Karna’s mom) and Karna are reunited after a long time of being apart, after a lot of crying and hugging from both sides, Kunti lets Karna rest his head on her lap and started stroking his hair. When I was reading that I couldn’t help but feel like I wanted to write Ritsuka doing the same kind of thing lol.
> 
> Oh, also the part about Karna's armor being made out of amrita was something neat I found on one of my journeys across google. Of course the Mahabharata is a story with an uncountable amount of versions and interpretations, so Karna's armor might have different origins elsewhere, but I liked the idea of it being made out of amrita so much I had to put that little tidbit here. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading. Maybe I’ll write more fluff next time (with Arjuna too).


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